Cenotaph
by Akiko Keeper of Sheep
Summary: Everyone remembers heroes, but sometimes it's more important to remember those who were never heroes.


Cenotaph

::::::::::

By: Akiko, Keeper of Sheep

:::

"_Since it is not granted to us to live long, let us transmit to posterity some memorial that we have at least lived." ~ E. Joseph Cossman_

Penny stared up at the simple memorial.

It had been almost twelve years since Angel Grove had been used as a battlefield. Because, really, that's what it had been. Oh, sure, the media had downplayed the danger, making a trip to Angel Grove seem like Good Fun, and exciting chance to see real superheroes fighting real super villains. Everyone just glossed over the explosions, the giant monster-versus-robot smack downs, the general weirdness that was also dangerous more often than not. Weirdness that ended with civilians crushed, burned, mangled, mind-raped, sometimes just completely disintegrated.

For a long time after the horror-show that was the Power Rangers left Angel Grove, no one talked about it. Houses and rent still came cheap, life insurance rates were still sky-high, and no one ever mentioned why. Tourists would come in by the busload, anxious to see where this or that battle had taken place, never realizing that they were, indeed, the sites of battles, where soldiers and civilians alike had been made casualties.

It had been in August of 2005 when a little girl, all blond curls and rosy cheeks, had bounced over to her and asked her if she'd ever seen the Power Rangers. Penny had been speechless for a moment, mostly because there was nothing she could think of to say to that. Nothing that wouldn't give the poor girl nightmares, anyway. And it had occurred to Penny that perhaps what the world needed was a wake-up call.

Since that dark day in February of 1994, Penny had been avoiding thinking about the large life insurance settlements in her savings account. The money had been accruing interest for over a decade, but she had been unable to touch it. It was blood money, and no dollar signs would bring back those she had lost. But maybe, just maybe, there was a way to use it that wouldn't make her feel nauseated.

So she had drawn up a plan, gone to meetings, gotten permits, held contests and fundraisers. Finally, she had hired Edward Allington to create the Lost Souls Memorial.

Only about twice her height, the steel statue was crafted into the shape of a man, his wife, and a child. Every available surface was marked with the names of those who had been killed in any incident involving the Power Rangers and their various enemies. The three figures were gazing skyward peacefully, their hands held out towards visitors. The base was marble, and on it was a bronze plaque that read: 'What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.'

It had been one of Penny's father's favorite quotes by Albert Pike. She still had a dusty collection of his poems - yet another thing that shouldn't have been hers yet.

The day after the memorial had been unveiled, the base had already been covered with flowers, candles, and trinkets. Rarely did a day go by when someone couldn't be seen kneeling or sitting in front of it, remembering someone. Penny could honestly believe that there wasn't a single citizen of Angel Grove that hadn't lost someone. And now, whenever someone came up to her to ask about the Power Rangers, she could simply direct them to the memorial. No other words needed to be said.

Slowly, the outside world began to understand. As the danger moved up and down the west coast, more cities were placed at the warfront. More people were killed, more innocents suffered, and more memorials were erected in their honor.

And now it was February 17, 2010, and once more, Penny found herself gazing up at the serene faces of the statues. The bundle of rosemary didn't tremble in her hands as it had four years ago, and in the years before that, standing before the two simple gravestones that marked where her parents rested. Penny couldn't decide if her own quietude was a good thing or a bad thing. Did she even want to heal?

The wind was picking up. She knew thunderstorms were on their way - they always were in the winter.

"Lost Souls," a quiet voice murmured behind her.

Tilting her head slightly, she took in the appearance of the man standing beside her. He was taller than she, with short, dark hair in spikes and dark, dark eyes. He was wearing a black shirt and jeans, and looked unfamiliar enough that Penny knew he didn't live in town. His hands were shoved deep in his jacket pockets, and he wasn't acknowledging her at all.

She watched, unsure of her own curiosity, as his eyes took in the faces, the names, the quote. He smiled a bit as he noted the bits and pieces around the site, little tokens of love and grief.

"This is new," he remarked, a bit louder now.

Penny raised an eyebrow. "Not really. It was put up in January of 2006. Why," she asked off the man's abashed expression.

"I guess I just hadn't realized how long it's been since I've visited."

"Oh," Penny mumbled, coming to a realization. "You're from Angel Grove?"

"Yeah. I lived here until 1998 or so, mostly during my high school years."

Well, she'd thought he looked older than her, but not that much older. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she offered the man a supportive smile. "Well, then, I guess you understand."

Humming to himself, the man continued to scrutinize the monument. Penny wondered what he was looking for. She followed his gaze, realizing that he was staring at the effigy of the little girl. It had been noted by several of Penny's friends that the child was the most heart-wrenching part of the piece. It had been noted by Penny that those friends had never lost a parent.

"Who are those for, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jerking her gaze back to the man, Penny swallowed. Did she mind? He was a complete stranger, and even if he had been around during the insanity, how could he possibly think that she'd want to talk to him about anything she'd been through.

"My parents," her traitorous mouth replied. "They were killed by Rita's Jellyfish monster. Toxic spray," she added when he looked confused.

"That must have been before I moved here," he hypothesized.

They stood in silence for a moment before the man turned to her and smiled. "I think this was a great idea."

"Thanks."

It was his turn to be surprised. "It was yours?"

Penny shrugged. "There are tours and documentaries and conventions dedicated to the Power Rangers. I just thought it was important to remember those who mattered. Even if they didn't get action figures."

Something flickered behind the man's eyes. He looked, Penny thought, as though he had lived twice as long as he was supposed to have lived. Like he had seen things, done things that most people could never imagine. An idea nudged at Penny's brain, but she couldn't, wouldn't believe it.

"It's much more important to remember these people. They and the ones they left behind are the real heroes."

Penny couldn't help it. He sounded so serious, so sincere - like a Hallmark card or an after-school special. She just couldn't help but laugh at him.

The man was trying to glare at her, but it came out more like a smirk. She noticed that he had a very attractive smirk.

"Sorry. You just sounded to solemn, and it was so corny…" she tried to explain before dissolving into giggles.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean it's not true."

Sobering, Penny shook her head. "It's not, though. The civilians who died aren't heroes. They're innocent people who were caught up in a war they had no business being near. And the ones they left behind are just people who have had to be stronger than most." Looking back at the memorial, she could see where her parents names were engraved, right over the lips of the woman. "None of them were heroes."

"That's why it's so important to remember them," he conceded.

Penny cast him another bemused look. "You just can't help but sound like you stepped off a cheesy Hollywood script, can you?"

"It's a gift."

With a sigh, Penny rested the rosemary across the child's feet. The rain would probably wash the flowers into a mud puddle somewhere, but it wasn't the flowers themselves that mattered, really. It was the ritual. The remembrance. It was how she reassured herself that she wouldn't forget her parents, no matter how much time passed.

"Sorry if I intruded," the man was saying as she stepped away after a moment. He glanced up at the memorial once more before joining her as she made her way through the park.

"You didn't." Tucking her hair behind one ear, Penny smiled at him. "Sharing your grief and your need to remember is what the Lost Souls is all about."

"It makes sense." He offered her a small grin. "They have one up in Reefside, as well. Not as big or elaborate - just a small plaque in the school courtyard."

The idea nudged again, more insistant this time. Penny buried it deep; the man was nice, and she was getting to like him a bit. She didn't want to ruin that.

It wasn't that she hated the Power Rangers. Penny was just very much like the rest of Angel Grove. There was some debate over whether or not the monsters came because the Rangers had been here, or if the Rangers came because the monsters had been here. Penny didn't want to believe that anyone who was hunted by horrible alien monsters would intentionally live in a crowded city, and most of Angel Grove agreed with her on that. But there was still that tiny bit of resentment.

'Why my loved ones? Why couldn't you have saved them? Didn't they matter to you?'

Rationally, she knew it wasn't the fault of any of the Rangers. None of them were responsible for her parents' deaths. That was all on Rita Repulsa and her disgusting tentacle monster. But the heart doesn't abide by 'rational'. Her heart, while big enough to be grateful and mostly at peace towards the Power Rangers, still harbored some anguish.

Her defective mouth, though, bypassed her wishes entirely to remark: "Wow, you've lived in two places that were affected by evil battles. Some coincidence, huh?"

The man's mouth curved into what was supposed to be a smile. His eyes, though, were hard when he regarded her. "Yeah. Some coincidence."

They stopped, staring at each other for a long moment. The stranger seemed to be evaluating her, and apparently came to a decision, because his smile turned genuine, and he reached out to shake her hand. "I'm Tommy."

"Penny," she murmured in kind, grasping his hand firmly. It was warm and callused, and very strong. She shook her hand out briefly when he released it.

_Very_ strong.

"It was nice to meet you, Penny." He withdrew a small notebook and a pen from his pocket, scrawled something, and tore out the page to give to her. "If you're ever in Reefside, look me up. I think we'd have a lot to talk about."

Penny took the paper. It was his phone number. She shoved it into her pocket and tried to smile back. Now, of all times, her hands had begun shaking. "Thanks. I'll…I'll do that."

The man, Tommy, cocked his head to the side. He wore an earring, she noticed vaguely. Looking him over again, she tried to fit this man into the mold of her mental expectations. Casually dressed, looking more like a rock star on vacation than a clean-cut American hero, he didn't exactly cooperate with her attempt. He was built, though, she noted with a blush. Not bulky, but definitely a fan of the active lifestyle.

Doesn't get more active than being a Power Ranger, she mused.

But beyond that, there was something more. An aura, almost, of weariness and wisdom. He was a man who had seen the best and worst the world had to offer. He carried himself like a war veteran, with a certain amount of wariness and shame, tempered by a deep well of pride. He knew what prices had to be paid in war, and he had accepted it.

In all, he wasn't what she'd expected at all. He was…well, he was a _person_. A real person, with thoughts and opinions and dark, piercing eyes that were now regarding her with amusement. After a beat, Penny realized that he'd said something.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, thank-you."

Confusion filled her. "For what?"

Gesturing at the monument, Tommy's eyes saddened. "For this. For starting this. For not forgetting, even when most people would want to."

And how many memories would he like to forget, Penny wondered.

"You're welcome," was what she said.

As he bade her goodbye and walked away, Penny stuck her hand in her pocket and closed her fingers around the paper he'd given her. Questions and more questions filled her mind, and no answers made themselves known. The wind tossed her hair about her face and thunder rumbled in the distance, and Penny sighed deeply.

Nothing was ever simple in Angel Grove.

:::

Author's Note -

Yes, this is intended to be a one-shot. I'm not really sure I want to go anywhere with this. It actually fits pretty nicely into a longer, multi-chapter story I'm working on, so I'm going to go ahead and call it a side-story. =P

Also, kindly check out Plus2-minus1-brilliance for some seriously awesome fics! They're mostly Harry Potter and TMNT, but they're worth the read, trust me.

Please, please, please review! It gives me a reason to live.

Peace.

Akiko =D


End file.
